Student Presenter(s): Puneet Dhaliwal, Emaan Naeem Mughal, Elizabeth Avshalomov, and Milan Toma
Faculty Mentor: Milan Toma
School/College: Arts and Sciences, Old Westbury

Dehydrated brains in sports, industrial works, military operations, emergency scenes, and from adverse drug reactions are often encountered. Symptoms of brain dehydration include dizziness, loss of coordination, and loss of consciousness. In brain dehydration, blood flow to the brain cells is reduced, limiting oxygen and nutrient supply. As a result, blood vessels leak fluids that may lead to swelling in the brain tissue, increasing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) while decreasing the brain volume. CSF surrounds the brain and acts as a cushion to protect the brain from impact against the hard surface of the skull. A common practice for combat athletes is to limit water intake to meet the lower weight class, causing them to enter the match in a dehydrated state. Hence, it is imperative to study the mechanism of brain injury and understand how dehydration can lead to secondary injuries. By understanding this mechanism, we can implement preventative measures that will minimize the impact of dehydration and brain injury. Computational models are useful tools to understand the dynamics of brain injuries and to provide insight into how to prevent and treat them without compromising human subjects. Multiple brain models with differing volumes of brain and CSF have been developed to understand the effects of dehydration on the brain. The same external loading is prescribed to all the models and the resulting injuries are assessed based on the response of the models to the impact.